Salt Lake City makes list of top 25 cities with the most Energy Star buildings in the United States

Salt Lake City makes list of top 25 cities with the most Energy Star buildings in the United States

DENVER (April 11, 2012) – For the first time, Salt Lake City made the list of top 25 cities with the most Energy Star buildings in the country - ranking 24th. In 2011, the nearly 16,500 Energy Star certified buildings across America have helped save nearly $2.3 billion in annual utility bills and have prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to emissions from the annual energy use of more than 1.5 million homes.

"More and more organizations are discovering the value of Energy Star as they work to cut costs and reduce their energy use," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "This year marked the twentieth anniversary of the Energy Star program, and today Energy Star certified buildings in cities across America are helping to strengthen local economies and protect the planet for decades to come."

Several programs made Salt Lake City stand out among cities nationwide. The Utah Building Energy Efficiency Strategies (UBEES), a coalition of government agencies, utilities, building industry, and key industry stakeholder partnerships, has been actively encouraging public and private buildings to benchmark with Portfolio Manager. Portfolio Manager is an interactive energy management tool that tracks and assesses energy and water consumption of buildings. In 2011, UBEES hosted roundtable discussions, completed the Benchmarking & Best Practices Guidelines, and worked with the Governor's Energy Advisor to recognize businesses that participate.

Nineteen schools in Salt Lake City School District have earned the Energy Star. The District was recognized as an Energy Star Partner of the Year in 2012, and worked closely with Utah Building Energy Efficiency Strategies (UBEES) to begin its benchmarking efforts. Seventy-three percent of Salt Lake City metro area Energy Star certified buildings are K-12 schools.

Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for nearly 20 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. Commercial buildings that earn EPA’s Energy Star must perform in the top 25 percent of similar buildings nationwide and must be independently verified by a licensed professional engineer or a registered architect. Energy Star certified buildings use an average of 35 percent less energy and are responsible for 35 percent less carbon dioxide emissions than typical buildings. Fifteen types of commercial buildings can earn the Energy Star, including office buildings, K-12 schools, and retail stores.

Launched in 1992 by EPA, Energy Star is a market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. This year marks Energy Star's 20th anniversary. Over the past 20 years, with help from Energy Star, American families and businesses have saved about $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.7 billion metric tons of carbon pollution. Today, the Energy Star label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products and more than 1.3 million new homes.